


If Wishes Were Horses

by camichats



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Getting Together, Humiliation, Imagination, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Pining, not as dark as it sounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 08:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Tony's had an obvious crush on Bucky for a while, but it's taken to a whole new level when his imagination manifests a version of Bucky that's all over him.(Tony Stark Bingo S2-Worst Case Scenario, Winteriron Bingo G5-Humiliation)





	If Wishes Were Horses

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the DS9 episode of the same name. I don't think knowledge of the episode or show in general is necessary to enjoy the fic though :D

Tony woke up pleasantly, to a warm arm curving up and around his stomach and then being pulled back against a firm chest. "Mmm." He wasn't quite awake yet, and that was why he wasn't freaking out yet. He didn't think anything of it when soft kisses were pressed to his neck despite the fact that he'd gone to bed alone and wasn't seeing anyone due to his massive crush on Commander Barnes.

It wasn't until Tony rolled over to get more comfortable and opened his eyes that it hit him that something was wrong. Because Bucky. Was in his bed. And smiling at him like he would a lover. It made Tony's heart thump pleasantly in his chest, but he couldn't shake off the sense of wrongness. He jolted back automatically, body taking care of what his emotions refused to do-- get some distance. "What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the company," he said with a slow smirk. "No offense Stark, but I'm definitely not here for the mattress. I know you spend more time in Jefferies tubes than in your bed, but you should take care of yourself."

"Uh," he said eloquently. His brain kicked on all at once and he started babbling as he sat up. Bucky followed the motion so that he could keep kissing Tony's neck, which only made his rambling worse. "What are you doing here at this time? Is there some sort of emergency? Because you know, the internal communication systems should still be working perfectly from the last time our Captain fried them all, and believe it or not I built them to last this time. And if it was an emergency, shouldn't you be shaking me awake and pushing a raktijino into my hand so you pretend you were nice about it? Not whatever the hell this is with pretending you're in love with me. I'm pretty sure that counts as sexual harassment, and I'll file a report about it if you don't cut it out right now, I swear I will."

Bucky frowned, looking all adorably soft instead of reprimanding like he usually did when he frowned at Tony. "I'm not pretending. Do you really think I'm harassing you? I can leave if you want me to." He didn't move away, but there was a looseness to his body that meant he would go if Tony told him to. "But I thought you liked me too Tony. We don't need to play games with this, we can just be happy together. Don't you want that?"

"Well yes, of course that's what I want, but there's obviously _something_ going on. Maybe I should have Vision look you over just to make sure you're not suffering from fever or--"

"Why are you fighting this?" Bucky asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Why-" Tony stopped. "Why _am_ I fighting this?" If Bucky was sick, he wouldn't have been able to make it all the way to Tony's quarters, and after the last ahem _incident_ with alien illnesses that had led to the staff splitting into two groups and trying to kill the other half, there had been additional security measures put into place to ensure it wouldn't happen again. Tony would be far from the first person to notice, which meant that Bucky was fine, just going about admitting his feelings in a very strange way.

He turned his head to catch Bucky's next kiss, which was given happily. They were just about to get somewhere that wasn't kissing when Steve's voice came over the comm. " **All senior officers to ops.** "

Tony froze, then snorted to cover the hurt. "Very funny." He got to his feet and went to the closet to change into his uniform.

"What are you talking about?" Bucky asked, propping himself up on his knees as he watched Tony get dressed.

"You come in here all over me, we show up to ops together and everyone has a good laugh about Tony's hopeless little crush? This ringing any bells?" Come to think of it, Tony should have known something was going to happen as soon as he saw him, because Bucky was already in uniform.

"I don't know what you're talking about Tony."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Captain called, joke's over, let's just go."

They stepped out of the turbolift together, but instead of anyone laughing, Steve just looked to Bucky like normal. "We seem to be having a bit of an issue with reality. Bucky, can you scan for any abnormalities? Maybe the neutrinos have been affecting more than we originally thought."

Instead of saying 'yes of course I'll get right on that' and moving towards his station, Bucky just blinked at him. "Uh, what am I looking for?" he asked with a nervous laugh and a glance at Tony. He'd hung on his arm the whole way there, and even though Tony had known the punchline was coming, he'd enjoyed it. Surely though, if the joke wasn't up before, it was now. So why was Bucky still acting like this?

"I think you'd have better luck asking me Stevie," Bucky said in a slow drawl, walking up from the other side of the room. Everyone looked between the two Bucky's in confusion, except for the Bucky that was sticking to Tony. It got real clear real quick which one was the real one.

The real Bucky did a scan, picking up a previously unnoticed anomaly that was likely the cause of their imaginations manifesting. Steve gave a decisive nod. "Keep an eye on it. In the meantime, everyone try to avoid using your imaginations so we can avoid any- uh- mishaps," he said with a glance at Tony's fantasy Bucky.

As soon as it had become clear why the fake Bucky was there, Tony had started blushing, and he hadn't stopped since. The sweet vacuum of space was starting to look very friendly-- joking of course, completely joking he liked not being a human pancake. Tony hadn't been so humiliated since hooking up with Sunset and she kicked him out of her room completely naked once he told her what she wanted to hear. And this was worse actually, because he wasn't at the Academy with a bunch of cadets that had done things just as bad if not worse. He was assigned here for the foreseeable future, and so were all of them.

Tony didn't even have time to try and distance himself from the situation before he dove in feet first because Bucky-- the real one-- wanted to start working on it right away, and for that he needed Tony. And where Tony went, fantasy-Bucky went, touching and simpering all the while.

They made their way to the science lab, both of them doing their best to pretend that fantasy-Bucky wasn't there, not that he was making it easy with his constant talking and trying to get Tony to talk back. Just to be clear, it's not that everyone didn't already know that Tony liked Bucky. He'd asked him on a date their first day on the station together, gotten turned down, and kept up a dialogue that made it abundantly clear that he was still interested. The embarrassing part was how everyone got to see it for how it was more than a crush.

"Is this really how you want me?" the real Bucky cut in to ask. He gave fantasy-Bucky a disgusted look before turning his gaze back to Tony. "Spineless and submissive?"

Tony grit his teeth and continued to stare at the pad. "No, I want you to like me, and apparently the only way that's going to happen is if your entire personality changes. We'll fix this, forget he ever existed," he said with a wave at fantasy-Bucky, "and I'll finally leave you alone."

Bucky blinked. "Leave me alone?"

"Yeah. I'll stop asking you on dates you don't want, and our friendly dinners can actually be just that: friendly." It was a swift kick to his senses to see how completely Bucky didn't want him, but that's what he needed to finally get it through his head. "So let's get started on the second step and pretend he doesn't exist."

"Tony," fake-Bucky said, sounding hurt. "How can you say that?"

"Shut up." There was a little buzz, and he faded from existence. "Hm. At least it's quiet," he mumbled.

Bucky continued to stare at him for a minute, but eventually he turned back to his work without a word.

* * *

"What do you mean it's getting worse?" Natasha asked, arms crossed over her chest to try and hide how nervous she was.

"It's growing at an exponential rate," Bucky said grimly. "It'll overtake our universe before it's done expanding, and it's not like we'll be there to see its finished product."

"Alright. What are our options?" Steve asked, looking to Tony.

"We all die?"

Steve glared at him.

Tony sighed and laid out a few plans. Most likely, none of them would work because you can't stop a growing universe, but what the hell might as well go down swinging.

In the end, it turned out that the anomaly was part of the imaginations-going-wild thing, and Bucky was thoroughly chastised for almost destroying the station because he'd wanted to find something unique.

They found themselves in Clint's afterwards, talking over glasses of synthale. "No offense Commander, but I think I no longer had the worst manifestation."

Bucky snorted. "Yeah no kidding." He took a drink from his mug, looking at the bar's other occupants. "I didn't think you were serious."

Tony cast a look around like the metal arches would give him some clue as to what Bucky was talking about. "Serious about what?"

"Asking me out," he explained. "I mean, you've hooked up with people while you've been here, and you flirt with everyone. I kinda thought it was reflex at this point for you to ask me on a date."

Tony blinked. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"You can't deny that you flirt with everyone," Bucky said, pointing a finger at him. "Besides, you're absolutely gorgeous, I didn't think I stood a chance."

"You didn't think you stood a chance," Tony repeated flatly. "I was asking you out and flirting with you, and you thought I was completely uninterested?"

He shifted in his seat. "Well it sounds bad when you put it like that. You don't- you don't really want me like that, do you? Like your little imagination Bucky?"

"God no. It was nice to be wanted, but he wasn't you. Also uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but does this mean you're agreeing to go on a date with me?"

"Well," Bucky said slowly, "it's more like I'm agreeing to go to your quarters tonight." He gestured with his mug. "This has to be our twentieth date by now."

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't seen the episode, it's aliens using imaginations to try and learn more about the crew, not an anomaly like they originally think.


End file.
